Folding chair



Oct. 6, 1953 w. E. NORDMARK FOLDING CHAIR 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Feb. 28, 1952 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 6, 1953 w. E. NORDMARK FOLDING CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 28, 1952 INVENTOR Billie)? E../Vbt'clmar1t.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 6, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- FOLDING CHAIR Walter E. Nordmark, Grand Rapids, Mich., as-

signor to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 28, 1952, Serial No. 273,871

6 Claims. (Cl. 155-442) The present invention relates to folding chairs and more particularly to steel folding chairs of the inverted Y-type.

The primary objects of the invention are to provide such a folding chair which is non-jackknlfing, that is, a chair which will not tend toward collapsing when the occupant thereof shifts his weight too far rearwardly, and in general to provide such a folding chair which is efiicient in use and reasonably economical in manufacture.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inverted Y-type steel folding chair in unfolded position;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the same;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of parts of the same taken on line .3-3 of Figure '2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the same;

Figure 5 is a side elevational'view of the chair in folded condition;

Figure 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, central vertical sectional view of parts of the chair, shown in folded condition in full lines and in partially unfolded condition in broken lines; and

Figure '7 is a similar View showing the parts in partially unfolded condition in broken lines and in fully unfolded position in full lines.

Referring now in detail to this drawing, wherein like parts of the structure are indicated by the same numerals in the several views, the chair there shown generally comprises an inverted U- shaped tubular metal front frame providing spaced front legs in for the chair and an upper bight portion 11 in which is secured a back panel [2, spaced tubular metal rear legs I 3 having their upper ends hingedly connected as by means of hinge straps [4 to the front legs l0, and a seat [5 here shown of plywood or the like mounted on and between the front and rear legs of the chair.

The frontlegs ID are connected to each other by means of an upper tie-bar or rod I6 located at about the seat level and a lower tie-bar or rod [1, and the rear legs [3 are similarly connected by means of an upper tie-bar or rod 18 located rearwardly of the seat, and a lower tiebar or rod I9.

The seat Proper is mounted upon spaced seat arms 26 which extend forwardly-rearwardly at r the opposite undersides of the seat, said arms be ing provided with vertical flanges 2| and with inwardly extending horizontal flanges 22 to which the seat is secured as by means of rivets 23. The vertical flanges 2| are provided with forward slots 24 which slope downwardly and then forwardly in the unfolded position of the chair. Theupper tie-bar 16 which connects the front legs of the chair extends through these slots 24, and the seat is thus pivotally and slidably mounted on the front legs H1. Rear slots 25 are also provided in the vertical flanges 2| of the seat arms 20, and these slots 25 slope forwardly and slightly upwardly in the unfolded position of the chair. Curved rear links 26 have their rearward ends pivotally connected at 21 to the rear legs I3 below the upper tie-bar l8, and straight front links 28 have their forward ends pivotally connected to the upper tie-bar IS. The rearward ends of the front links 28 and the forward ends of the rear links 26 are pivotally connected together and pivotally and slidably connected to the seat arms by means of pin-and-slot connections comprising pins 29 extending through apertures in the links and through the rear slots in the seat arms. Both ends of these pins 29 are riveted over to secure these parts in assembly.

The rearward end portions of the seat arms 20 extend rearwardly of the seat l5 at the opposite rearcorners thereof, and are shaped to provide hooks 30 which extend rearwardly, then upwardly and then forwardly in the unfolded position of the chair. The upper forward edges of these hook portions of the seat arms 20 are rearwardlydownwardly-sloping to provide cam surfaces :3l the purpose of which is described hereinafter.

Operation The chair being in its folded position shown in full lines in Figures 5 and 6, it is unfolded by pressing downwardly on the front edge of the seat. This movement is transmitted to the rear legs through the rear links 26 which are thus spread rearwardly from the front legs as the seat is lowered. When this unfolding movement has progressed as far as the broken line representations shown in Figures 6 and 7, the cam surfaces 31 on the seat arms 25 bear against the tie-bar l8, and in the final unfolding movement the seat is thereby cammed forwardly so that the hooks 3i engage around the tie-bar 1.8 thus to prevent either raising or iowering movement of the rearward edge of the seat. The chair is thus positively prevented from ieek-knifing when occupied.

When the chair is to be folded, it is tipped slightly forwardly to raise the rear legs off the floor. The front edge of the seat is then lifted, and the rearward component of the force exerted on the seat slides the seat rearwardly so that the hooks 30 of the seat arms 20 are disengaged from 3 the tie-bar 8 thus permitting full folding of the chair.

While but one specific embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings and hereinbefore described, it will be understood that numerous details may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as the same is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A folding chair comprising spaced front legs, spaced rear legs having their upper ends hingedly connected to the front legs, a seat pivotally and slidably mounted between said front legs, a link pivotally connected to one of the rear legs and having a pin-and-slot connection with the seat,

a stop on one of said rear legs, a hook extending from the rear of the seat rearwardly, then upwardly and then forwardly, and cam means on the seat engageable with the stop on said rear leg for sliding the seat forwardly during the final unfolding of the chair thus to engage said hook around said stop to prevent either raising or lowering movement of the rearward edge of the seat in the unfolded position of the chair.

2. A folding chair comprising spaced front legs, spaced rear legs having their upper ends hingedly connected to the front legs, a seat pivotally and slidably mounted between said front legs, a link pivotally connected to one of the rear legs and having a pin-and-slot connection with the seat, a tie-bar connecting said rear legs rearwardly of the seat, a hook extending from the rear of the seat rearwardly, then upwardly and then forwardly, and cam means on the seat engageable with the tie-bar on said rear leg for sliding the seat forwardly during the final unfolding of the chair thus to engage said hook around said tie-bar to prevent either raising or lowering movement of the rearward edge of the seat in the unfolded position of the chair.

3. A folding chair comprising spaced front legs, spaced rear legs hingedly connected to the front legs, a seat pivotally and slidably mounted between said front legs, links having their rearward ends pivotally connected to the rear legs and having pin-and-slot connections with the seat at their forward ends, a tie-bar connecting said rear legs rearwardly of the seat, hooks eX- tending from the rear corners of the seat rearwardly, then'upwardly and then forwardly, and cam means on the seat engageable with the tiebar for sliding the seat forwardly during the final unfolding of the chair thus to engage said hooks around said tie-bar to prevent either raising or L-J lowering movement of the rearward edge of the seat in the unfolded position of the chair.

4. A folding chair comprising spaced front legs, spaced rear legs having their upper ends hingedly connected to the front legs, rear links having their rearward ends pivoted to the rear legs, front links having their forward ends pivotally connected to the front legs and having their rearward ends pivotally connected to the forward ends of the rear links, a seat having its opposite sides pivotally and slidably mounted on the pivotal connections between the front legs and the front links and also pivotally and slidably mounted on the pivotal connections between the front links and the rear links, a stop on one of the rear legs rearwardly of the seat, and a hook ex tending from the rear of the seat rearwardly, then upwardly and then forwardly, the seat being slidable forwardly on its mountings during the final unfolding of the chair so that said hook engages around the stop on said rear leg to prevent either raising or lowering movement of the rearward edge of the seat in the unfolded position of the chair.

5. A folding chair comprising spaced front legs. spaced rear legs having their upper ends hingedly connected to the front legs, rear links having their rearward ends pivoted to the rear legs, front links having their forward ends pivotally connected to the front legs and having their rearward ends pivotally connected to the forward ends of the rear links, a seat having its opposite sides pivotally and slidably mounted on the pivotal connections between the front legs and the front links and also pivotally and slidably mounted on the pivotal connections between the front links and the rear links, a tie-bar connecting the rear legs of the chair rearwardly of the seat, and a pair of hooks extending from the opposite rear corners of the seat rearwardly, then upwardly and then forwardly, the seat being slidable forwardly on its mountings during the final unfolding of the chair so that said hooks engage around said tie-bar to prevent either raising or lowering movement of the rearward edge of the seat in the unfolded position of the chair.

6. A folding chair comprising spaced front legs, spaced rear legs having their upper ends hingedly connected to the front legs, rear links having their rearward ends pivoted to the rear legs, front links having their forward ends pivotally connected to the front legs and having their rearward ends pivotally connected to the forward ends of the rear links, a seat having its opposite sides pivotally and slidably mounted on the pivotal connections between the front legs and the front links and also pivotally and slidably mounted on the pivotal connections between the front links and the rear links, a tie-bar connecting the rear legs of the chair rearwardly of the seat, and a pair of hooks extending from the opposite rear corners of the seat rearwardly-downwardly, then upwardly and then forwardly, the rearwardly-downwardly extending portions of said hooks camming against the tie-bar during the final unfolding of the chair thus to slide the seat forwardly so that said hooks engage around said tie-bar to prevent either raising or lowering movement of the rearward edge of the seat in the unfolded position of the chair.

WALTER E. NORDMARK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 136,734 Johnson Mar. 11, 1873 428,032 Albert May 13, 1890 1,060,753 Hall May 6, 1913 1,977,313 Koken Oct. 16, 1934 2,016,133 Chandler Oct. 1, 1935 2,091,660 Boogaard Aug. 31, 1937 2,207,338 Clarin July 9, 1940 2,620,019 Merrill et al. Dec. 2, 1952 

